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Rainbow Turkey Meatballs with Hidden Vegetables and Colorful Couscous - photo 1
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Rainbow Turkey Meatballs with Hidden Vegetables and Colorful Couscous

Pikantne Kids' Lunches Main dishes Takeaway Dishes 70 min Medium 7 wyświetleń ~26.73 PLN - (0)
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Description

This dish is a true culinary masterpiece created with young gourmets in mind. Tender, juicy meatballs made from lean turkey hide a wealth of finely grated vegetables – carrots and zucchini, which not only enrich the dish with valuable vitamins and fiber but also ensure its extraordinary moisture. The whole is enveloped in a velvety, mild tomato sauce seasoned with aromatic oregano. However, the real star on the plate is the colorful couscous, dyed with natural ingredients such as turmeric, beet juice, or spinach, creating an appetizing rainbow that will entice even the pickiest eater. The dish is not only delicious and visually appealing but also balanced and nutritious, making it an excellent option for a healthy and wholesome family lunch. It can be served as a daily meal or used to enhance a children's party.

Składniki (17)

Servings:
4
  • Ground turkey 500 g
  • Carrot 1.3 szt.
  • Zucchini 0.6 szt.
  • Onion 0.7 szt.
  • Egg 1 szt.
  • Breadcrumbs 60 g
  • Tomato passata 500 g
  • Garlic 1 ząbek
  • Couscous 200 g
  • Rapeseed oil 30 g
  • Dried oregano 2 g
  • 🌿 Przyprawy
  • Salt 0.1 szczypt
  • Ground black pepper 1 szczypta
  • Ground turmeric 0.4 łyżeczek
  • ✨ Opcjonalne
  • Sok z buraka 30 ml
  • Fresh spinach 50 g
  • Parsley 0.5 pęczek
💰 Szacowany koszt dania: ~26.73 PLN (6.68 PLN/porcję)

💡 Kliknij na składnik aby oznaczyć jako użyty

Preparation steps

Preparation of the mixture for meatballs

1

Start by preparing the vegetables. Peel the carrot using a vegetable peeler. Wash the zucchini thoroughly under running water (if it's young, you don't need to peel it). Grate both vegetables on a fine grater. Transfer the grated zucchini to a sieve or your hands and squeeze it tightly to remove excess water. This is a very important step; otherwise, the mixture for the meatballs will be too runny.

Ingredients: Carrot, Zucchini
Use a standard kitchen grater (known as a 'box grater'). Squeezing out the zucchini is crucial for the consistency of the meatballs. You can do this by squeezing it in your hands over the sink.
2

Peel the onion and chop it into very small cubes. The finer you chop the onion, the less noticeable it will be in the finished meatballs, which is important for dishes for children. Peel the garlic and crush it using a garlic press or grate it on the smallest holes of a grater.

Ingredients: Onion, Garlic
Use a sharp knife and a cutting board. To avoid crying while chopping onions, you can chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes beforehand.
3

In a large bowl, place the ground turkey. Add the drained zucchini, grated carrot, chopped onion, breadcrumbs, salt, and a pinch of pepper. Crack one egg into the mixture. The egg and breadcrumbs will bind the mixture and ensure that the meatballs do not fall apart.

Ingredients: Ground turkey, Carrot, Zucchini, Onion, Egg, Breadcrumbs, Salt, Ground black pepper
The most convenient option will be a large, stable bowl that can hold all the ingredients and allow for easy mixing. Make sure your hands are clean, as they will be the best tool for kneading the dough.
4

Now the most important part – kneading the mixture. Using your hands, thoroughly mix all the ingredients, gently kneading them until they come together into a uniform, cohesive mass. Do not knead for too long; 2-3 minutes is sufficient. The finished mixture should be firm and slightly sticky.

Mix with your hands, it's the best way to feel the consistency and ensure everything is evenly distributed. Do not add more breadcrumbs, even if the mixture seems a bit loose – the vegetables will release more juice.

Shaping and frying the meatballs

5

Prepare a small bowl of cold water. Wet your hands in the water before shaping each meatball – this will prevent the meat from sticking to your hands. Take portions of the mixture (about one heaping tablespoon) and shape them into neat balls the size of a walnut in your hands. Place them on a cutting board or a large plate.

Try to make the meatballs roughly the same size so they cook evenly. From the given amount of ingredients, you should get about 20-24 small meatballs.
6

In a large, wide skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot (you can check by dropping in a bit of the mixture – it should start to sizzle), carefully place the meatballs in the skillet. Fry them in batches, not overcrowding the pan. Brown on each side for about 1-2 minutes, until nicely golden. They don’t need to be cooked through inside – they will finish cooking in the sauce later.

Ingredients: Rapeseed oil
The best option is a non-stick pan with a diameter of at least 28 cm. Use a wooden or silicone spatula to turn the meatballs to avoid damaging them. Transfer the browned meatballs to a plate.

Preparing the sauce and cooking

7

After removing the last batch of meatballs, reduce the heat. To the same pan (do not wash it!), add the minced garlic. Sauté for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until it becomes fragrant. Be careful not to burn it, as it will become bitter.

Ingredients: Garlic
The remnants from frying the meatballs at the bottom of the pan will add depth of flavor to the sauce. Have the passata ready to quickly pour it into the pan as soon as the garlic is sautéed.
8

Pour the entire tomato passata into the pan. Add dried oregano. Mix everything thoroughly, scraping the tasty remnants from the bottom of the pan after frying the meat. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer (small bubbles should appear on the surface).

Ingredients: Tomato passata, Dried oregano
If the sauce is very thick, you can add 50-100 ml of water or vegetable broth. The sauce should have the consistency of thin cream.
9

Carefully transfer all the browned meatballs back to the skillet, immersing them in the tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet with a lid, and cook everything for about 15-20 minutes. During this time, the meatballs will cook through, and the flavors will meld together.

Every now and then, you can gently shake the pan to prevent the meatballs from sticking to the bottom. The finished meatballs will be soft and fully cooked inside.

Preparation of colorful couscous

10

While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the couscous. Pour the dry couscous into a bowl. Boil about 300 ml of water or vegetable broth in a kettle. Prepare three small, heatproof bowls or mugs.

Ingredients: Couscous
Using broth instead of water will enhance the flavor of the couscous. Make sure the bowls are large enough, as the couscous will expand in volume.
11

Divide the dry couscous into 3 equal parts, placing each into one of the prepared bowls. Add turmeric to the first bowl. In the second bowl, mix 80 ml of hot water/broth with beet juice. In the third bowl, blend 80 ml of hot water/broth with fresh spinach until smooth and green.

Ingredients: Ground turmeric, Sok z buraka, Fresh spinach
For blending spinach, it's best to use an immersion blender (stick blender) or a small countertop blender. If you don't have beet juice or spinach, you can simply prepare couscous in one color (e.g., yellow with turmeric) or natural.
12

In the bowls with couscous and turmeric, pour in 80 ml of hot water/broth. In the second bowl, pour in the pink beet liquid, and in the third, the green spinach liquid. Quickly mix the couscous in each bowl with a fork, cover each with a plate, and set aside for 5-7 minutes. The couscous will absorb all the liquid and swell.

It is important for the liquid to be hot – this will ensure that the groats swell properly. Covering the bowls will trap the steam inside and speed up the process.
13

After 5-7 minutes, uncover the bowls. Using a fork, gently fluff the grains in each bowl, breaking up any clumps to make it light and fluffy. If you like, you can add a little butter to each serving for better flavor.

Do not stir the groats with a spoon, as they may stick together. A fork is the perfect tool for fluffing them up. This is the moment when the magic happens – the colors become vibrant, and the groats achieve the perfect texture.

Serving the dish

14

On the plates, arrange portions of colorful couscous – you can place the colors side by side to create a rainbow, or mix them to achieve a vibrant mosaic. Next to the couscous, add a few meatballs and generously drizzle with tomato sauce. If using, sprinkle everything with freshly chopped parsley for freshness and extra vitamins.

Ingredients: Parsley
For extra fun, you can arrange the meatballs and sauce to create a smiling face on the child's plate. The dish tastes best warm, right after preparation.

Fun Fact

💡

Couscous, although associated with Arabic cuisine, is not cooked in the traditional sense. The process of preparing it involves steaming, which means pouring boiling water over it and allowing it to swell. This makes it one of the quickest grains to prepare in the world!

Best for

Codzienny obiad dla rodziny Przyjęcie urodzinowe dla dzieci Sposób na przemycenie warzyw niejadkowi Zdrowy lunchbox do szkoły

Tips

🍽️ Serving

To make the dish even more appealing to your child, you can use cookie cutters to shape the couscous into interesting shapes, such as stars or hearts. Serve with a simple salad of cherry tomatoes and cucumber to add even more color and crunch.

🥡 Storage

Cooked meatballs in sauce can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Couscous is best stored separately. The dish can be reheated in the microwave or over low heat in a pan. Meatballs in sauce are also great for freezing – they can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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